tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79633467260935837692024-03-13T22:47:12.602+05:30Living True BlueThis blog is all about Chelsea Football ClubUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-69210692198142342072008-10-03T00:43:00.001+05:302008-10-03T01:26:50.505+05:30CFR Cluj 0 - 0 Chelsea FCIt took me one whole day to motivate myself to write a match review. Blues' visit to Transylvania was not one that would stay in the minds of Chelsea fans for long. But, the Romanians had reasons to celebrate as they took a point from Chelsea playing their first champions league match on home soil. They were motivated, their work rate was awesome and they chased every ball while their opponents looked indifferent, rusty and didn't show the attitude needed to win.<br />
<br />
To be frank, I didn't have high expectations from this match. Somehow I had a feeling that this would be a boring match though I did think we would somehow win it. It was a day on which all the players resembled Anelka, in sulkiness. The passing was very bad and we lost ball too often to make any inroads into the heavily guarded Cluj penalty box. Cluj could have won the match if they had a bit more quality upfront.<br />
<br />
Scolari started the match on a positive note. He fielded the strongest team he could, which meant he wanted the three points so that there would be no unnecessary pressure later. There was only one change from the expected line-up - Bridge replaced Ashley Cole who was down with a minor injury. Drogba strated upfront with Kalou on the right and Malouda on the left.<br />
<br />
Chelsea dominated possession but Cluj got their chances on counters. The Chelsea attack didn't look sharp at all with Drogba struggling to get back to form. On top of that, Kalou showed how inconsistent he could be and to say he performed badly would be an overstatement. Mikel, Lampard and Ballack did well in the midfield but didn't get the support from the forwards. Ballack was too careless in his passing and lost possession on a number of occasions. He even got a card for himself when a Cluj player did a 'Ronaldo' and the referee bought it.<br />
<br />
I'm not writing about the refereeing errors because it would take too much space. In short, refereeing was pathetic. Anelka replaced Kalou after 45 mins and did what he does best - missing chances. Anelka is not a player who would score special goals to bail the team out of trouble. He will score goals now and then, which any decent striker would given the quality of midfield that is feeding him. And that's exactly what worries me after Drogba was carried off due to a knee injury.<br />
<br />
Rumors say that Didier could be out for 3 months and that's a big blow for us. If you remember, it was a knee injury that kept Drogba out for a month before the African Cup in January, and since then he is not the same Drogba. With Deco, Essien, Carvalho and Joe Cole already in medical ward, Drogba's injury would be a major concern for Scolari. I don't understand why injuries keep recurring to Chelsea players. Is something wrong with the system?<br />
<br />
Elsewhere, Barcelona, Real, United, Arsenal and Liverpool won their respective matches. Jose's Inter succumbed to a draw and pressure is mounting on Jose especially after the defeat in Milan derby last weekend. Looking at our result once again, I feel a point from Transylvania is not that bad. We still top the group and should be able to go through comfortably. Injuries must be the main concern for Big Phil as Martin O'Neil's Villains visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-37933575804261149152008-09-22T15:34:00.001+05:302008-09-22T16:40:29.776+05:30Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester United<b>Chelsea</b> <b>Line-up:</b><br />
Cech<br />
Bosingwa, Carvalho (Alex 11'), Terry (c) A Cole<br />
Ballack (Kalou 73'), Mikel, Lampard<br />
Joe Cole, Anelka, Malouda (Drogba 46').<br />
<br />
<b>Scorers:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1584546/" target="_blank">18' Park Ji-Sung 0-1</a><br />
<a href="http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1584728/" target="_blank">78' Kalou 1-1</a><br />
<br />
<br />
The match had all the ingredients of a thriller, and it didn't disappoint the fans. Even with the attacking quality both teams possessed, we knew it was not the number of goals that would make the match thrilling, but the intensity at which the game is played.<br />
<br />
As they did at Anfield a week back, United started well, with Park and Fletcher starting ahead of Nani and Ronaldo, and Rooney partnering Berbatov upfront with Tevez on the bench. Deco's injury during warm-up and Carvalho's injury in the opening minutes were a huge blow to Chelsea even though we had adequate cover in the form of 'Ze German' Ballack and Brazilian Alex. Chelsea took time to settle with the new strategy and game plan and United capitalized.<br />
<br />
Deco's absence showed in the passing early on. The passing lacked the beauty that we have seen lately from Chelsea and it looked more like the Chelsea we saw last season. United took the lead early on when Evra's thrust into the box was not stopped and Cech spilled the ball into the path of Park. Cech had earlier made a quality save from a Ferdinand shot. Chelsea too got their share of chances to score but Joe Cole failed ot hit the target even though Van Der Sar had given up hope.<br />
<br />
Van Der Sar was soon substituted because it seemed like he had an injury. I felt that it was a blessing in disguise for United because the Oranje goalkeeper looked totally out of sorts. Chelsea came back to the match soon. Mikel looked awesome in front of the back four, or back two rather. Bosingwa and Cole went forward on every opportunity, and troubled the United fullbacks, especially Neville. Ballack was playing well considering he is just back from injury. Lampard looked good, Malouda played like Malouda, Joe Cole was poor and Anelka was average during the remainder of the game. Terry had a very mediocre game but Alex made sure we didn't feel the absence of Carvalho in defense.<br />
<br />
Chelsea took total control in the second half of the match. Scolari's half time talk made sure that Man Untd were outplayed and outclassed in the second half. It was a great sight to see the champs of Premier League defending for the majority of time just like Stoke City did at Anfield on the previous day. Rooney had an excellent match defensively and was even seen complaining to his coach about the lack of intensity in his co-players.<br />
<br />
Ronaldo was brought in by Fergie in the second half to add pace to the United counter-attacks but the ploy failed miserably. Ronaldo announced his arrival by a typical dive that fooled only Mike Riley and then later got himself a yellow card for showing dissent. Ronaldo considerably weakened the strength of United bus that was parked in front of goal. Joe Cole missed his second one-on-one situation but made amends by putting a perfect cross in front of Anelka. It was too easy for a player of Anelka's quality and hence he missed from a yard in front of an empty net.<br />
<br />
Scolari threw Kalou into the pitch, the last roll of dice and Kalou scored from a setpiece header. He could have doubled his and Chelsea's score when Neville's clearance fell straight in front of him. Neville recovered somehow, and with Evans' help, cleared the ball away. On the other end of the pitch, Berbatov rarely got the ball and Alex put himself in front of goal to save Chelsea the blues in the final quarter of the match.<br />
<br />
Drogba came on in the second half and his appearance was a huge relief, except maybe to Johny Evans. He held the ball, chased the ball and won every battle upfront. He put the extra pressure on defenders but the other forwards failed to capitalize. Joe Cole had a bad day at the office while Anelka's finishing betrayed him. He played some beautiful passes and also was in the right places, but he needs to improve his finishing to be a regular in the Chelsea line-up.<br />
<br />
Riley gave the mancs 7 yellow cards and they deserevd every single one of them. We know from Riley's record that he would never be harsh on United. He did disrupt the passage of play sometimes but his yellow card decisions were all right. Having said that, I don't think Mike Riley is a good referee. If Mascherano was yellow carded for 'dissent' at Old Trafford, and the same law holds good now, Rooney and Ferdinand should be banned for the whole season. They showed no respect and repeatedly questioned every decision by the referee.<br />
<br />
We could have won the match, but we should be happy with the draw. The home record is intact and the season promises so much. Even though Arsenal are top of the league now, I feel its just a matter of time now before we are back on top, <br />
<br />
Are you subscribed to<a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/"> Living True Blue</a>'s RSS feed? If not - <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default">subscribe</a><span lang="EN-GB"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-67232582758340293712008-09-21T12:10:00.000+05:302008-09-21T13:34:20.245+05:30Chelsea v Manchester United: PreviewWhat an occasion to post my 100th post in this blog - Manchester United at Stamford Bridge!<br />
<br />
The match has a lot of significance though Scolari believes this is just another league match. If Chelsea win this, the statement they make would be loud and clear. If United manage to win, then it would be the spark they need to truly kick start their season. If United win or the match turns out to be a draw, which many consider a safe bet, then Arsenal would end up having the top spot in the table.<br />
<br />
Liverpool drew with Stoke yesterday after a Gerrard goal was disallowed in the early minutes and then they failed to overcome Stoke's physicality. They became league toppers until Arsenal beat Bolton at Reebok late in the evening to claim the top spot. Now its upto the Blues to take back their spot in the league, which they occupied since the season began a month ago.<br />
<br />
After the match against the French side mid-week, Scolari pointed out that there was still a lot of room for improvement. I believe Scolari was warning the players against getting complacent. He wants a state of "tranquillity" i.e, good possession effectively minimizing opposition attacks. I guess all the time he had the weekend match in mind and he wasn't impressed with Chelsea giving away balls easily.<br />
<br />
There is a strong possibility of Scolari going with the same starting line-up that drubbed Bordeaux mid-week and humbled Citeh the last weekend. Drogba and Ballack might be fit to play and Scolari may bring them on during the game. Anelka, though he missed half a dozen chances whenever he played this season, is likely to get another go before Drogba replaces him in first team.<br />
<br />
I'm just praying Scolari won't commit the same mistake Grant committed - to play Drogba upfront and Anelka wide. Joe Cole is having a splendid time and Malouda is beginning to play well and so we don't need a replacement in the flanks. Similarly, Ballack would find it difficult to displace Lampard, Deco or Mikel from midfield. Its no coincidence that whenever John Obi played, Chelsea won comfortably.<br />
<br />
For United, Ronaldo is likely to start because it was his arrival that unlocked the Villareal defense. Before that, United didn't look like scoring at all. It remains to be seen if Fergie considers this match worth risking Ronaldo's fitness. I think Fergie would start Ronaldo unless he shares the same opinion as me - Ronaldo is useless against good opponents.<br />
<br />
If Ronaldo starts, it would be interesting to see where Bosingwa plays, in the opposition half as he does nowadays or his own half. Ronaldo wouldn't fancy the wing Ashley Cole is defending because he was unsuccessful there in previous meetings. Marcel Desailly believes Ronaldo starting would be an indication of how desperate United is. Maybe Magricoz ex-coach Scolari knows how to deal with Ronaldo.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile<i> Setanta Sports</i> reports that Mineiro had a successful medical at Stamford Bridge yesterday and is close to completing a move. The Brazilian midfielder would be a replacement for injured Essien.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Guess at the team:</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cech </span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span>Bosingwa<span style="color: black;">, Carvalho, Terry, Cole</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Deco</span><span style="color: black;">, Mikel</span><span style="color: black;">, Lampard</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">J.Cole, </span><span style="color: black;">Anelka</span>, Malouda<br />
<span style="color: black;">subs: Cudicini, Alex, Belletti, Bridge, Drogba, Ballack, Ferreira, Kalou</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Referee: </span>Mike Riley<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Time :</span>14:00 BST/18:30 IST<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">TV Timings: </span><span style="color: black;">1830 ESPN(IST), 21/09/08.</span><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Scoreline prediction:</span><span style="color: black;"> 3-1</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Head To Head</b> <br />
Home and Away:<br />
League (inc PL): Chelsea 37 wins, United 55 wins, Draws 40<br />
Prem: Chelsea 10 wins, United 9 wins, Draws 13<br />
At Stamford Bridge:<br />
League (inc PL): Chelsea 20 wins, United 29, Draws 17<br />
Prem: Chelsea 6 wins, United 4 wins, Draws 6 <br />
<br />
<b>Form Guide</b><br />
<b>Chelsea: </b><br />
17 Aug v Portsmouth (H) won 4-0 (EPL)<br />
24 Aug v Wigan (A) won 1-0 (EPL)<br />
31 Aug v Tottenham (H) drew 1-1 (EPL)<br />
13 Sep v Manchester City (A) won 3-1 (EPL)<br />
16 Sep v Bordeaux (H) won 4-0 (CL)<br />
<br />
<b>Manchester United:</b><br />
17 Aug v Newcastle (H) drew 1-1 (EPL)<br />
25 Aug v Portsmouth (A) won 1-0 (EPL)<br />
29 Aug v Zenit St Petersburg (N) lost 1-2 (SC)<br />
13 Sep v Liverpool (A) lost 1-2 (EPL)<br />
17 Sep v Villarreal (H) drew 0-0 (CL)<br />
<br />
Come on Blues, Keep the Blue flag flying high !!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-46519564826616529112008-09-16T12:38:00.001+05:302008-09-16T13:31:50.458+05:30Chelsea vs Bordeaux - Match PreviewWe begin our journey towards Rome in the Champions League with a home match against Bordeaux, a French side. After a win against City in the weekend, the Blue spirits are high and Bordeaux would find it difficult to contain the quality Chelsea possess. Their main agenda would be damage limitation. Maybe they'll have a go at Chelsea on home turf, but certainly not at Stamford Bridge.<br />
<br />
It would be interesting to see how Scolari approaches today's game considering that we play United this weekend. Will he afford to rest key players like Lampard and Joe Cole taking into account the fact that they played 3 matches in a span of 8 days. Captain John Terry is suspended for the weekend and I don't think FA will admit the refereeing error. Refereeing was terribly bad last weekend. So Terry may be partnered by Alex and Carvalho might be rested for today's game. We might also see people like Kalou and Ivanovic in action today. Ballack will make his return from injury today but may not play the entire 90 minutes unless situation demands. We may also see the young striker Franco Di Santo in action today.<br />
<br />
This is Scolari's first match at the topmost level of Club football in Europe, though he had won the South American equivalent, the Copa Libertadores twice with Brazilian clubs. Meanwhile Laurent Blanc's side is labelled "unpredictable" by many pundits. The Girondins, as they are called, are likely to flood the midfield and rely heavily on counter-attacks. Blanc is the oldest player to score in the competition, a feat he performed when playing for United. Chelsea and Girondins de Bordeaux have never met in European competition.<br />
<br />
In the other Group A game, Roma face the newcomers CFR 1907 Cluj of Romania and are expected to come through without any loss of points. Meanwhile the Blue fans are also keeping their fingers crossed over the Terry red card appeal, on which a decision will be made today. Mark Halsey was pathetic last Saturday as a referee and the chances are that he will remain so during the appeal.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Guess at the team:</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cech </span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span>Ferreira<span style="color: black;">, Terry, Alex, Bridge</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Deco</span><span style="color: black;">, Mikel</span><span style="color: black;">, Lampard</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">J.Cole, </span><span style="color: black;">Anelka</span>, Malouda<br />
<span style="color: black;">subs: Cudicini, Carvalho, A.Cole, Di Santo, Drogba, Ballack, Belletti, Kalou</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Referee: </span>Pieter Vink <br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Time : </span><span style="color: black;">0015 IST</span><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">TV Timings: </span><span style="color: black;">0015 Zee Sports(IST), 17/09/08.</span><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Scoreline prediction:</span><span style="color: black;"> 4-0</span><br />
<br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-80396032296743674432008-09-04T11:18:00.001+05:302008-09-04T13:43:49.628+05:30Spurs Frustrate, City Outbid and Real Backstab ChelseaI apologize first of all to all my readers for the lack of activity here. Especially to the large number of readers who subscribed recently. Bad health prevented me from writing a preview or a review of the Chelsea-Spurs game and also about how Robinho got hijacked to Eastlands. I would certainly like to pen my thoughts on these happenings now that I feel better.<br />
<br />
I believe the match against Spurs was one in which the Blues ought to have won. There was no way Spurs could score except the way in which they did, as their forward line was toothless. There was a display of individual brilliance occasionally from the likes of Modric but Spurs never played well as a unit. Complacency was the thing that cost us two valuable points at home.<br />
<br />
Everyone was surprised to find Belletti in the starting line-up. The last thing I heard about the Brazilian was that Chelsea were trying to offload him before the window closes. He played in midfield and scored the only goal for Chelsea from a Deco corner. I believe Mikel and Ballack could have made a difference.<br />
<br />
The Chelsea players except maybe the defenders did nowhere near their best. Deco was overly cautious after the booking he received early in the game. Anelka underlined why he is "Le Sulk" and failed to capitalize the opportunities he got upfront. Essien didn't look like he was back to full fitness and it seems his recovery was rushed by the management. Many would feel a draw was a fair result as both teams failed to create enough chances but I think Spurs were lucky to get away with a point because their goal was purely luck while some Chelsea attempts on goal were cleared by woodwork.<br />
<br />
After the disappointment from the Spurs match, the next thing to look forward to was the arrival of Robinho. I was pretty sure Robinho would land in London as he was of no use to Real and insisted on a transfer, and Calderon just kept muttering about Real's will to keep him although he was holding out for more money obviously. But Manchester City, fueled with money from their new owners, outbid Abramovich. Roman getting outbid is a rarity in itself, but Real doing shameless deeds in transfer market is certainly not a rarity these days. Kenyon did his reputation no harm by not having a "plan B".<br />
<br />
Some would call Robinho a mere heartless mercenary but before making any accusation like that, we should consider the situation Robinho was in, and if he had any other option. Maybe Real had given him an ultimatum - Rot in Madrid or get 160K/week in Manchester. Even his mother, Marina, has said she does not know why he chose to go to City. Playing under Scolari and playing in Europe would have been a far better option if money alone was not a factor. Robinho was a prime target for Scolari and the club had failed him, but he didn't make a meal of it.<br />
<br />
Real Madrid's story for rejecting all the four Chelsea bids for Robinho was that they had not found an adequate replacement. Robinho is probably having <i>shawarma</i> with the Sheikhs in Manchester, the transfer window is closed and the bastards of Real Madrid still haven't found their replacement. Their latest story is that they were not happy with Chelsea's approach. Calderon is not only pathetic in dealing with transfers and club's outlook, he is even more pathetic in coming up with stories. He makes even Kenyon look like a saint. I just hope the loser and his team plays against us in the Champions League knock-out stages. Meanwhile Robinho makes his debut on 13th this month against Chelsea !!<br />
<br />
Going through other happenings, the date for Chelsea's Carling Cup third round clash with Portsmouth has been announced. The game will take place at Fratton Park on Wednesday 24 September, with a 7.45pm kick off. Meanwhile, <span lang="EN">Michael Ballack has been withdrawn from the German squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualification matches against Liechtenstein and Finland due to the foot injury he suffered. </span>Now, lets take a break and look forward to the World Cup qualifiers this weekend. Watch out for the one in which captain John Terry leads his England side to meet Croatia.<br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Are you subscribed to</span><a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/" style="color: black;"> Living True Blue</a><span style="color: black;">'s RSS feed? If not - </span><a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" style="color: black;">subscribe</a> soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-50016399246394538462008-08-29T02:33:00.002+05:302008-08-29T03:55:50.603+05:30Chelsea Sell Wright-Phillips | Champions League DrawStamford Bridge bids adieu to Shaun Wright-Phillips as the winger was sold to his former club Manchester City. He was bought in the 2005 summer and always remained in the shadows of more crafty wingers like robben, Joe Cole and Duff. Wright-Phillips had his chances when Robben and Duff left but failed to capitalize on it. He lacked the consistency to be a regular first team player though a lot was expected from the England international.<br />
<br />
In total Wright-Phillips started 65 games and played 59 games as a sub for Chelsea, scoring 10 goals. His departure means the Robinho deal would be finished any time now. Obviously Real is holding on to Robinho because Calderon wants maximum possible price from Chelsea. All the best to Wright-Phillips and lets hope he scores goals galore, except when its against us.<br />
<br />
More good news followed for Blue fans as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech have all been given Uefa awards in their respective positions. The awards were given out in a ceremony in Monaco, the venue where group stage draw of 54th Champions League was carried out by the Union of European Football Associations. The following are the eight Champions League groupings -<br />
<ul style="color: blue;"><li>Group A: Chelsea, AS Roma, Bordeaux, Cluj.</li>
<li>Group B: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Famagusta.</li>
<li>Group C: FC Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Basel, Shakhtar Donetsk.</li>
<li>Group D: Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Marseille, Atlético de Madrid.</li>
<li>Group E: Manchester United, Celtic, Villareal, Aalborg.</li>
<li>Group F: Lyon, Bayern Munich, Steaua Bucureşti, Fiorentina.</li>
<li>Group G: Arsenal, Porto, Fenerbache, Dynamo Kiev.</li>
<li>Group H: Real Madrid, Juventus, Zenit St. Petersburg, Borisov.</li>
</ul>Roma, Bordeaux and CFR Cluj are the opponents for Chelsea in group A. Luciano Spalletti's Roma would be the greatest threat, but the Blue fans need not worry much because we have a true Blue hero in the Roma squad - John Arne Riise. The Giallorossi plays in the Stadio Olimpico where the champions League final will be played this season.<br />
<br />
Bordeaux are the French league runners up and are a formidable side coached by ex-United player Laurent Blanc.<b> </b>Meanwhile CFR Cluj are the Romanian champions who won both the league and cup last season. Cluj are busy during the transfer window preparing for European competition.<br />
<br />
The Blues' fixtures for the group stages are -<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">Tuesday 16 September - Bordeaux (home)<br />
Wednesday 1 October - Cluj (away)<br />
Wednesday 22 October - Roma (home)<br />
Tuesday 4 November - Roma (away)<br />
Wednesday 26 November - Bordeaux (away)<br />
Tuesday 9 December - Cluj (home)<br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: blue;"></div><div style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">Are you subscribed to</span><a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/" style="color: black;"> Living True Blue</a><span style="color: black;">'s RSS feed? If not - </span><a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" style="color: black;">subscribe</a><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div><div style="color: blue;"></div><div style="color: blue;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-34790098633255261542008-08-26T12:04:00.000+05:302008-08-26T12:42:00.318+05:30Wigan 0 - 1 Chelsea<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Scorers: </span><span style="color: black;">Deco(4')</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Starting Eleven:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cech</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A.Cole</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;">Lampard, Essien, Ballack</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;">Deco, J.Cole</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Anelka </span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<b>Subs:</b> Hilario, Bridge, Mikel, Malouda, Di Santo, Alex, Ferreira.<br />
<br />
The friday night rugby match should be one reason that didn't allow the Chelsea players to settle and play good football on the JJB pitch. The pitch still had line markings of the rugby match, and the Latics seemed to be comfortable on their home pitch while the away team struggled.<br />
<br />
Chelsea replaced Mikel with Essien in central defensive midfielder role, and that was the only change from the previous match. But the way Blues played the game was entirely different from the previous match. After a brilliant free-kick from Deco in the 4th minute, Wigan's goalkeeper was rarely troubled. On the other end of the pitch, Petr Cech was using all his goalkeeping skills to keep the single goal lead.<br />
<br />
Deco's free-kick was a class act. He read the movement of the goalkeeper and buried the ball in the opposite corner. The technique, accuracy and the ease with which he stuck the ball was amazing. The goal also justified the decision that Deco would take the kick even when Ballack and Lampard were around. The goal came early and it seemed that Chelsea would make a Pompey out of Latics. But from the 4th minute onwards, things didn't go according to plan for Scolari and his boys.<br />
<br />
Wigan, with their new signings like Zaki, and with the likes of Palacios and Valencia threatened on many occasions. But Cech played one of his best games in recent times and denied Wigan again and again. Joe Cole picked up and injury and so did Ashley Cole. Scolari brought Malouda and Kalou in the final stages of the match.The defense looked susceptible and I feel the team could have been better organized. I swear I saw Essien in the opposition penalty box in the 87th minute. He's the holding midfielder and I don't understand what he was doing in the final minutes in the attacking areas when the team was sitting on a slender lead. I'm not sure if Essien is a better option that Mikel in the defensive midfielder role because of his attacking instincts.<br />
<br />
But the good things is Chelsea held on to the lead and are top of the table after two matchdays. And even though the match was a bad one considering the standards we expect, somehow the result is not bothering me much. Spurs come next to the Bridge and it's payback time next week. Spurs and Ramos have looked totally out of sorts in the two matches played, and lost both the matches. So, let us look forward to the next match now and forget about the off-day in JJB.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, transfer window remains open for one more week and Scolari will have a busy week as he shapes his team for the next season. Sheva has returned to Milan and Wright-Phillips is wanted by Moyes and Hughes. With Robinho distancing himself further from the Madrid, we might see a few transfers this week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-78231876729029896552008-08-18T08:30:00.003+05:302008-08-18T10:02:38.928+05:30Chelsea 4 - 0 Portsmouth | Perfect Start<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ucubMqv7TLk/SKjnOcAu40I/AAAAAAAAAHw/4BWcNt4cDZ4/s1600-h/chelsea9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ucubMqv7TLk/SKjnOcAu40I/AAAAAAAAAHw/hx8JMOAb9BM/s320-R/chelsea9.jpg" /></a><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Scorers: </span><span style="color: black;">J.Cole(I2'), Anelka(26'), Lampard(45'), Deco(89')</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Starting Eleven:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cech</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A.Cole</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;">Lampard, Mikel, Ballack</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black;">Deco, J.Cole</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Anelka </span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<br />
<b>Subs:</b> Hilario, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Malouda (on 38), Di Santo, Alex, Ferreira (on 83).<br />
<br />
<br />
Chelsea had a perfect start to the season as we smashed four goals past Redknapp's clueless Pompeys. In what was a perfect start to the campaign, both Deco and Bosingwa made impressive debuts and Deco was awarded man of the match after he rounded off his efforts for the day with a stunning 30-yard shot to beat David James. Stamford Bridge saw some of the best football played there in recent times. Chelsea dominated the game completely, with accurate, slick passes and great movement in the midfield. It was like all the Pompey players were invisible, except of course the goalkeeper whose efforts meant Portsmouth were punished with four only.<br />
<br />
Bosingwa made his debut alongside Terry, Carvalho and Cole in the defense. His recovery from the injury picked in the pre-season friendly was fast and he made it to the squad. But, Essien didn't. Essien's unavailability meant Mikel did the defensive role in the midfield. Scolari had a line-up that was predictable, but what we were to spectate was never predicted. Anelka played the lone man upfront with Joe Cole supporting him.<br />
<br />
In the first half, Chelsea showed all its class and quality with overwhelming possession and great passing. Deco demonstrated his range and vision with deft touches and accurate passes, while Lampard and Ballack were exquisite and calm. The ball rarely went behind Mikel, who was sitting pretty in the Makalele role. To add to the worries of Pompeys, both Chelsea fullbacks were attacking down the flanks. Ashley Cole, given the freedom to go forward did so with grit and flair while Bosingwa was impressive with his runs and crossing. Anelka played as if he wanted to prove a point and that Kalac wasn't the only reason he scored four in the last pre-season match.<br />
<br />
The things that impressed me most was that all the players were involved and wanted the ball. Whenever Pompeys had the ball, they were closed down quickly and the ball was snatched with determination and ease. The last season had given enough reasons for motivation and it showed. <span lang="EN-GB">It took eight minutes for Lampard to register his first shot, a long range shot that forced David James into action. After watching the early stages of the game, the first goal was just a matter of time, and the match was about how many.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Ze German showed his class when his perfect pass found Joe, after Anelka and Deco combined to initiate the move. Joe was through on goal and beat James with a low shot to the far post. </span><span lang="EN-GB">Eight minutes later, Anelka should have doubled the lead having beaten the offside trap, but his low shot was straight at James. The second goal came as Deco found Anelka somehow from a Bosingwa pass and the Frenchman headed into an empty post. </span><span lang="EN-GB">Ballack was forced to withdraw in the 37th minute and Malouda replaced him, though he played on left flank. But nothing changed for Pompeys. </span><span lang="EN-GB">Hreidarsson handled inside the area when Pompeys were looking to escape first half with minimum damage and Lampard scored his first this season with ease.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">The second half was the same. Maybe Portsmouth got a bit more possession when Chelsea downed their tempo but there were no genuine goal threats. Chelsea dominated possession again and Scolari decided to bring in Wright-Phillips and Ferreira instead of Joe and Bosingwa. Just when Redknapp sighed with relief that they will be punished with three goals only, Deco came with a shot from 30 yards out that surprised him, James and everybody. There was no wonder Deco was awarded 'man of the match', as Chelsea began their quest with a victory, and now is back on top of the league.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Just when I thought things couldn't get better, United drew at home to Newcastle. So both records stayed intact. United's record of not winning the opening match of the season since 99' and our home record. And Deco, Torres and Santa Cruz starred in my fantasy team. Chelsea plays Wigan next at the JJB. An away game considered tough taking into consideration the JJB pitch. But from what we have seen, there are more good things to come and the season promises much.</span><br />
<br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-51802910724654509692008-08-17T10:56:00.002+05:302008-08-17T15:59:45.142+05:30Chelsea vs Portsmouth : PreviewChelsea begins a new era in the Premier League today with Scolari, the new manager at the helm. It is important to get a good start to the campaign, but a win today would mean much more to the Blues because Scolari's Chelsea would then start on a positive note. The Blues are not only looking to extend their majestic home unbeaten streak to 83 games, but also their 21 game Premiership unbeaten run.<br />
<br />
Today's match will also see the Premiership debut of Deco, and Bosingwa if he is injury-free. Nobody would dare to predict the midfield Scolari selects for this match. It would be hard for him to accommodate all. The only one's who look untouchable are Lampard, Ballack and Deco in midfield. J.Cole and Mikel are fit to start, but their involvement in the match would be dependent on the formation Chelsea plays, which also remains a mystery. There are also reports that Essien is in the injury list along with Deco, who didn't train on Friday.<br />
<br />
Anelka, in the absence of Drogba, might be the lone striker upfront. Franco Di Santo could be named on the bench as back up for Anelka. If its a 4-3-3, Malouda or Wright-Phillips may start with Joe Cole in the other flank. If its a 4-2-3-1 as many experts predict, then Anelka would be the lone striker upfront. In defense, Terry, Carvalho, Ashley Cole and Bosingwa would be in front of Petr Cech. If Bosingwa doesn't start, Belletti and Ferreira are likely candidates to replace him. There is plenty of cover there. With seven substitutes allowed on the bench, Alex will have lots of company there.<br />
<br />
Portsmouth have rarely troubled the quality teams and its unlikely that Chelsea will be much troubled at Stamford Bridge today. The fixture will mark a return to the Bridge for Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson. Defoe and Crouch would be a great partnership upfront. But taking all that into consideration I still feel we'll have a comfortable victory today. So, lets hope its a grand start to the season that promises so much. Go Blues !!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Guess at the team:</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cech </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">Bosingwa, Terry, Carvalho, Cole</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Ballack, Mikel</span><span style="color: black;"> <br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">J.Cole, Deco, Lampard</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Anelka</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">subs: Hilario, Ferreira, Alex, Di Santo, Malouda, Wright-Phillips, Belletti, Shevchenko</span><br />
<br />
<b>Last 10 Meetings:</b><br />
Portsmouth 1 - 1 Chelsea<br />
Chelsea 1 - 0 Portsmouth<br />
Portsmouth 0 - 2 Chelsea<br />
Chelsea 2 - 1 Portsmouth<br />
Chelsea 2 - 0 Portsmouth<br />
Portsmouth 0 - 2 Chelsea <br />
Chelsea 3 - 0 Portsmouth<br />
Portsmouth 0 - 2 Chelsea<br />
Portsmouth 0 - 2 Chelsea<br />
Chelsea 3 - 0 Portsmouth<br />
<br />
<b>Records:</b><br />
Highest Aggregate 11 Chelsea 7 - 4 Portsmouth 1957/1958 <br />
Highest Chelsea score: 7 Chelsea 7 - 0 Portsmouth 1962/1963 <br />
Highest Portsmouth score: 5 Chelsea 1 - 5 Portsmouth 1955/1956 <span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Referee: </span><span style="color: black;">Mike Dean </span><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Time : </span><span style="color: black;">13:30 BST</span><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">TV Timings: </span><span style="color: black;">1755 ESPN(IST), 17/08/08.</span><span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-weight: bold;">Scoreline prediction:</span><span style="color: black;"> 2-0</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-56506195515621592012008-08-14T11:26:00.001+05:302008-08-14T12:05:45.807+05:30Lampard Signs New Contract | Lampard InterviewLampard's contract talks and Mourinho's tatcics to lure the midfiledler away was a topic of much speculation for about two months. Yesterday the Club made an announcement declaring that <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268%7E1365400,00.html" target="_blank">Frank Lampard has signed a new five-year deal</a> which will keep him at the club until 2013.<br />
<br />
Lampard was a offered a 4 year deal at first as his <span>contract was due to expire at the end of the 2008/09 season. But Frank wanted a five year contract and remained adamant about it, a stand which earned him no friends except in Milan. The Official site says Lampard's dedication to the Club is unquestionable, and the fans surely saw glimpses of that. Glimpses of something that said a lot about dedication and loyalty to the Club, something that will require a lot more badge-kissing if it is to be healed.</span><br />
<br />
<span>I don't know why the Lampard contract renewal was material for 'World Exclusive' when Cech's or Essien's contract renewal were just ordinary affairs of the Club. Didn't Essien too have good relations with Mourinho? But we never saw him using that as a smokescreen for getting a new contract. Maybe the Club feels Frank is bigger than them, but no amounts of badge-kissing will make the fans accept that. But having said all that, Frank Lampard is still one of my favorite players and will remain so. Lets take a look at his interview after he signed the new contract.</span><br />
<br />
<span><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q7guqT67Zus&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q7guqT67Zus&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span><br />
<span> <br />
</span><br />
With just two days left for the Premier League to begin, do follow <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/" mce_href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/">Living True Blue</a> to get all the latest Chelsea news, match previews as well as post-match reviews. If you haven't subscribed, please <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default" mce_href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default">subscribe</a>. <span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-44669483995945099232008-08-12T09:10:00.003+05:302008-08-12T10:26:42.211+05:30Chelsea Preparing to Cut Losses?With four days gone after Chelsea's initial bid for Robinho, things have gone quiet on the that front; I feel Madrid have quoted a ridiculous fee, signaling their intention to keep him and we've walked away. Robinho and his agent still maintain that he is interested in a move away from the Bernabéu. Maybe Madrid had no other options left with Ronaldo still at Manchester and Sneijder injured, courtesy Arsenal.<br />
<br />
Another interesting transfer rumor that has been in the news columns lately is about Chelsea signing Kaka. Kaka would be an excellent signing for any other club. But for Chelsea with an already surplus midfield, spending above 60 million for Kaka, who had his share of injuries in recent times with his knee, would not be a good idea. And where would he fit in? It would be an added pressure on Scolari to accommodate him in the midfield. But chances are that there is no truth in the rumor, and Milan may hold on to their decision that Kaka is not for sale, even though reports say Kaka's desire to play Champions League football next year might fuel a move away from Milan.<br />
<br />
Milan is increasingly linked with another transfer speculation though; the signing of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Milan's Dario Simic has joined Monaco, and that points to the fact that Ivanovic might be a done deal. But having sold Ben-Haim and with just Alex as back-up for the central defense, the plan to sell Ivanovic and cut losses, defies logic. And unlike last year, Ivanovic may get enough playing chances because Scolari did experiment with the youngster in pre-season friendlies.<br />
<br />
Malouda has announced his intentions to fight for a place in the squad, according to <i>timesonline. </i>By doing so, the French winger has closed the possibility of a move to Roma, who were interested in signing the struggling winger. Hull City are looking for a loan deal to get chelsea striker Pizzaro, which would be a good deal because that would atleast give some playing chances for the Peru captain. As if these transfer speculations are not enough for us, Martin O'Neil and Benitez both are reportedly interested in signing Joe Cole!<br />
<br />
Even though he's quiet in the transfer market so far, Sir Alex makes his presence known to the media by constantly trying to get into a verbal duel with Big Phil. With Ronaldo locked away safely from the reach of Ramón Calderón, the wily old manager has focused his attention back on "aging Chelsea". This time, Fergie compares Blues' to the Liverpool side that fell into steep decline after the title triumph of 1990. He seems to be very imaginative with every dig at Chelsea, and is more concerned about it than the injury troubles with his team or his failure again to capture the gifted Bulgarian striker.<br />
<br />
There's good news as well for us before the season opener on Saturday. Bosingwa returned early to training following the thigh injury sustained on the club's pre-season tour of Asia. He took full part in the training session, and Scolari is optimistic that he will be able to make his debut against the Pompeys.<br />
<br />
It feels good to post an article, after a gap of four days, and it feels great to think that the Premier League will start in another four days time. So do follow <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/">Living True Blue</a> to get all the latest Chelsea news, match previews as well as post-match reviews. If you haven't subscribed, please <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default">subscribe</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-62329494013836418812008-08-06T14:57:00.005+05:302008-08-08T01:56:23.571+05:30Chelsea Makes an Offer for Robinho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ucubMqv7TLk/SJtOzp1ZvAI/AAAAAAAAAHo/9AiEM9-P4gA/s1600-h/robinho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ucubMqv7TLk/SJtOzp1ZvAI/AAAAAAAAAHo/UYH659UpxUQ/s320-R/robinho.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"></div><br />
"<i>Further to media reports, Chelsea Football Club can confirm we have made an offer to Real Madrid today (Thursday, August 7) for the transfer of Robinho</i>." The Official Chelsea site made this announcement yesterday confirming that Chelsea has bid for Real Madrid winger Robinho. The possibility of Robinho arriving at the Bridge seemed less likely after Ronaldo decided to stay in Manchester and Sneijder got injured. But the confirmation by the Official site that a bid for Robinho has been made, adds another twist to the summer-long story.<br />
<br />
Sky Sports News says that Chelsea have lodged a £19.7million bid for Real Madrid forward Robinho.Earlier this week, Kenyon had openly expressed the desire of the Club to sign the Brazilian winger. And Robinho, when asked about it, had refused to rule out the move. This could be Chelsea's last bid this summer and if the bid proves to be successful, we would see Samba magic at the Bridge soon.<br />
<br />
Chelsea are understood to be thinking about an offer from Roma for their winger Florent Malouda, who has failed to make an impact after arriving from Lyon last summer for £13.5m Roma need to replace Mancini, who was sold to Inter, and was at first interested in a loan deal for Malouda. If the Robinho bid succeeds, Malouda may find himself in the Italian capital next season. Meanwhile the Pompeys from south coast are still said to be interested in Wright-Phillips and Redknapp believes Wright-Phillips would be another expensive buy like Crouch.<br />
<br />
Moving onto other news, the Blues, back in London after thrashing the Rossoneri, have started the training sessions as scheduled. And one guy who is missing the party is Salamon Kalou. Kalou is in the Olympic squad of Ivory Coast, who lost their first group game in the Olympics as Argentina secured a 2-1 win. Ivory Coast will go into their next game against Serbia on Sunday with no points.<br />
<br />
Are you subscribed to<a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/"> Living True Blue</a>'s RSS feed? If not - <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default">subscribe</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-10515492577457230542008-08-06T01:25:00.004+05:302008-08-06T15:39:04.963+05:30EPL and Pompeys - 10 Days AwayTen days is all that remain for the English Premier League to start. The agonizing wait will be over on August 16th, but I'm sure the coming ten days will be very, very long. Especially because of the lack of activity in the transfer market, and also because I've registered in every fantasy football site possible in the internet and there's nothing else to do other than wait for the show to begin.<br />
<br />
I still remember the day I walked away depressed after we drew against Bolton, and United lifted the trophy. When I look back, I can't believe it was about three months back. Moscow delivered another blow soon after that. The Euros, the pre-season friendly matches and the transfer rumors meant the focus was still on football during the summer.<br />
<br />
The transfer window until now has been good for the Blues'. There was a general feeling among the fans that we may get another "Grant" as the manager. But the surprise appointment of Scolari during the Euros was a huge relief. The player signings has been good as well. The pre-season tour helped some players like Anelka and Malouda in getting back to form. And more importantly, with the signing of Scolari as manager, Chelsea were able to hold on to players like Carvalho, Lampard and Essien who could easily have been lured away by Mourinho.<br />
<br />
With ten more days to go, I believe there won't be much transfer activity now. There maybe a few transfers out; Pizzaro, Belletti, Wright-Phillips, and we may see the arrival of Robinho. Real's signing of Van der Vaart and an injury to Sneijder has certainly complicated matters. This, in some way, will decide where Ronaldo and Berbatov play next season. So we might still see a bit of transfer action there, where one deal could initiate the signing of a few more deals.<br />
<br />
Scolari will have lots to think about in the matters of squad selection and formation as well. Anelka proved a point in Moscow and so it would be difficult for Scolari to replace Drogba with Anelka, though a fully fit Drogba would suit the Chelsea formation a lot better. Anelka will have his chances in the first few matches when Drogba will be out injured. The participation of Kalou in Olympics mean Malouda also will get his opportunities as well. It will be difficult to accommodate Deco in the midfield unless he is played in a defensive role, in which case Mikel will warm the bench. Another possibility is that Essien plays as a right-back till Bosingwa is back from injury.<br />
<br />
So, moving to Premier League news, The Football Association on Tuesday launched its "Respect" campaign, a program aimed at improving the behavior of players at all levels of football in England. A much needed thing in the Premier League I would say, where respect for referees and opponents seem to be on a decline. Team captains will have the added responsibility of helping referees maintain discipline in the pitch.<br />
<br />
I'm off for now, but will be back when something write-worthy happens, maybe something like Chelsea's Robinho bid getting accepted.<br />
<br />
Are you subscribed to<a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/"> Living True Blue</a>'s RSS feed? If not - <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default">subscribe</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-82923577164610598312008-08-03T17:51:00.000+05:302008-08-03T18:31:17.895+05:30AC Milan 0 - 5 Chelsea | Quadruple for Anelka<b>Scorers:</b> Lampard (2'), Anelka (5', 17', 50', 57') <br />
<br />
<b>Starting Eleven:</b><br />
Cech (Cudicini 72')<br />
Ivanovic (Ferreira 61'), Alex, Terry (Carvalho 61'), A Cole<br />
Ballack (Deco 45'), Mikel, Lampard<br />
Wright-Phillips (Sinclair 77'), Anelka (Shevchenko 66'), Malouda <br />
<br />
The Moscow jinx is broken, and broken spectacularly. Anelka's quadruple and a goal from Lampard helped Chelsea defeat the Rossoneri 5-0 in a fascinating match in the Railways Cup third place playoff at Central Stadium, Moscow . This performance would have boosted the morale of Anelka a dozen times more that when Scolari defended him saying he was played out of position last season. Anelka thanked the coach for the trust shown in him, in an emphatic manner. The fans might not yet have forgiven Nic for the penalty miss about 2 months back, but he is certainly moving in the right direction; towards being forgiven. But, not yet.<br />
<br />
Scolari changed the starting eleven from the team that started against Lokomotiv. He used the 4-3-3 with Malouda and Wright-Phillips in the flanks and Anelka as the lone striker. Ballack, playing his first game in this tour, and Lampard played the attacking roles in the midfield while Mikel played the 'Makalele' role. Young Branislav Ivanovic was given a start, and he took the right-back position. The lack of strikers in the Milan starting line-up helped Blues' maintain a clean sheet without much trouble.<br />
<br />
Lampard converted a free-kick as early as the 2nd minute of the game, when the ball went through Kalac's legs. Malouda's cross was not cleared well, and fell to Anelka, who scored his first and Chelsea's second in the 7th minute of the game. Chelsea played one way football in the first half and dominated possession.Anelka failed to head the ball towards target from an Ivanovic cross, which would have got him his hat-trick as early as the 21st minute of the game. Milan created some half chances towards the end of the first half, but never came close to scoring.<br />
<br />
Deco came in for Ballack after the half-time break. It was a wise decision from Scolari's part as this was the first match Ballack played after the Euro finals, and playing him the whole ninety minutes might have been risky. Malouda worked hard in the left flank. His efforts led to cross in the 50th minute which helped Anelka complete his hat-trick. The same combination helped Chelsea score the fifth goal in the 57th minute, Anelka's fourth. <span><span>Terry, Ivanovic and Anelka were replaced by Carvalho, Ferreira.and Shevchenko after the one hour mark. </span></span>Wright-Phillips then saw his shot saved by Kalac, while Deco and Malouda shot wide of target.<br />
<br />
Both Sinclair and Ivanovic were impressive. Sinclair has the pace to trouble any defense. And the better news is that both Malouda and Anelka, terribly out of sorts last season, looked a lot better. The Blues' came back strongly after the shoot-out defeat against Lokomotiv Moscow and showed no signs of fatigue, unlike in the last game. It may also be because the aging Rossoneri legs were more affected by fatigue. Chelsea fly back to London now and wait for the first league match against Portsmouth on August 16th.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-25106410041586118862008-08-02T01:36:00.001+05:302008-08-02T02:30:41.121+05:30The Moscow Jinx - Lokomotiv Moscow 1(5) - 1(4) Chelsea<b>Scorers:</b> Essien( 26'), Kambolov(84') <br />
<br />
<b>Starting Eleven:</b><br />
Cech<br />
Ferreira, Terry, Carvalho, A. Cole<br />
Essien, Obi, Lampard, Deco<br />
J. Cole, Anelka.<br />
<br />
<i>John Terry bravely steps upto take the penalty. Ronaldo had missed his and it was now Chelsea's trophy to lose. The Blues' captain, one of the greatest servants of the club adjusts the position of the ball and steps back to wait for the referee's whistle. Terry hit towards his right and Edwin Van der Sar was wrong footed, but....</i> Memories came flooding back as Chelsea lost another penalty shoot-out, though this one far less important, far less significant. Moscow doesn't seem to be a happy hunting ground for the Blues. After leading for 84'mins in the match, Lokomotiv equaled, and then won in the penalties.<br />
<br />
Chelsea started well with Essien in attacking mood and Deco looked classy and impressive. Ferreira and Ashley played high up in the park, and the attacking style with short passing and good tempo looked impressive. Essien looked more and more dangerous from a Lokomotiv point of view, and finally at 27', Essien hit a <a href="http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=oDrSud4KIc4">wonderful left-footed</a> volley in the Lokomotiv net. Minutes later Deco's splendid volley went wide. Cech wasn't troubled throughout the first half. Chelsea thoroughly deserve the lead and the only negative for us was that Mikel got himself booked for a clumsy challenge. Possession was dominated by Chelsea.<br />
<br />
Wright-Phillips and Malouda came on for J.Cole and Mikel Obi in the second half, and Essien quit his attacking role. Carvalho was seen coming forward often and also looked dangerous in corners. Lokomotiv brought in a new striker and they played better than the first half. Anelka looked in better form than we have seen, and he linked well with Lampard. He was replaced though with Shevchenko coming on for him, and Sheva received a warm welcome from the Moscow crowd. Malouda played well to put in few crosses but the players inside the box failed to capitalize.<br />
<br />
Cech was beaten by a Kambolov shot in the 84th minute. Scores tied and a penalty looked ominous. Cech kept Chelsea alive in the match with a fine save as Lokomotiv players took advantage of the Blues' who started showing signs of fatigue. Cech saved the first penalty as Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Deco and Essien scored to take a 3-4 advantage. Lokomotiv made it 4-4, and the score remained so as Bridge failed to score our last penalty. Shevchenko shot was saved in the sudden death after Lokomotiv scores theirs, as Chelsea confirm their birth to play AC Milan in the losers final on Sunday. It baffles me as to why Bridge was asked to take the penalty when Malouda or even Terry could have taken it. It would have been a great thing for Terry to score and win the match, and thus to redeem himself. So that's the story of the fifth penalty shoot-out we have lost in a row now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-53936574643003042252008-07-30T10:31:00.003+05:302008-07-30T11:18:50.026+05:30Malaysian XI 0 - 2 Chelsea | Malouda Stays - Scolari<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"></div><b>Scorers:</b> Anelka (25'), A Cole (52'). <br />
<br />
<b>Starting Eleven:</b> Cech (Cudicini 64');<br />
Essien, Carvalho (Alex 45'), Terry (Ivanovic 77'), Bridge (A Cole 45');<br />
Deco (Shevchenko 64'), Mikel, Lampard (Sinclair 77');<br />
Wright-Phillips (Ferreira 45'), Anelka (Di Santo 64'), J Cole (Malouda 45').<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center; clear: both;"><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_ucubMqv7TLk/SI_50rkGT3I/AAAAAAAAAHg/Ee_miA2EaDk/s1600-h/anelka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="border: 0pt none ; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_ucubMqv7TLk/SI_50rkGT3I/AAAAAAAAAHg/fNOCDWC5Aog/s320-R/anelka.jpg" style="border: 0pt none ;" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole scored as Chelsea rounded off their Asian tour with 2-0 win over a Malaysian XI, and Scolari's team now has 13 goals from three friendlies, ad all three clean sheets. The pitch in Kuala Lumpur was described 'impossible to play on' by the coach and he added that we were lucky to get away with no injuries. It was humid in the Shah Alam Stadium and I don't know how this plus the bad condition of the pitch would effect the players who already had voiced their disapproval of the tour venues.<br />
<br />
The Malaysians were the toughest opposition the Blues have faced on their pre-season tour but once they settled it was almost exclusively Chelsea. Scolari opted for a 4-3-3 starting line-up like he did in the last game. Andriy Shevchenko and newly-arrived Scott Sinclair were on the bench for the first time. Ballack didn't feature yesterday also. Anelka finally opened the scoring in the 26th minute when he was fed through on the left by Joe Cole and slotted home. Scolari made seven substitutions considering the heat and Ashley Cole wasted no time making his mark, getting on the scoresheet after 53 minutes when he tapped in from close range.<br />
<br />
Deco has nicely settled down to the Chelsea midfield and its a joy to watch the gifted Portuguese play alongside Lampard. Deco's brilliant volley from a Lampard corner was one such magic moment and reminded us that we are in for a real treat from him in the coming season. Regarding the wingers in the squad; Kalou is to participate in the Olympics while both Malouda and Wright-Phillips might get another chance to prove themselves. Scolari opined that Malouda was wasted out of position last season and that he would like to see Malouda flying down the wing and getting forward like he did for Lyon and France. With Robinho's price increasing faster than oil prices, Chelsea might reconsider buying the winger placed at £30m by Real now. Plus the fact that Scolari is impressed with Wright-Phillips and that would mean Pompeys maybe disappointed in their quest for the little man. Chelsea now travel to Russia to play the Railways Cup also featuring Lokomotiv Moscow, their first opponent, AC Milan and Sevilla.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-43506080614114483752008-07-28T23:35:00.000+05:302008-07-29T00:14:44.416+05:30Scolari Defends Asian TourBlues Caoch Luiz Felipe Scolari has defended the pre-season tour of Asia, which if reports are to be believed, caused unrest among players. The players are said to be unhappy with the conditions in which they are made to play, which in turn means that they are not happy with the selection of Asia as venue for a pre-season tour. The Chelsea boss said in an interview that the decision to tour Asia was a good one and added that he, and his squad are happy with the proceedings.<br />
<br />
In an interview, in which Scolari let out his charm and made the journalists laugh at every facial expression he made, he indicated that he feared press conferences only and had no problems with training, pre-season matches and all game related activities. "Before I go to sleep... I think.....ohh....tomorrow press conference", Scolari conveyed his message using all the English he could conjure and a lot of facial expressions and gestures. Scolari's press conferences thus far has been in sharp contrast with that of his predecessor Grant, who had no facial expression at all. Scolari said he feared the press, in a humorous way. <br />
<br />
After the tour of Asia, when the players return, it is likely that Lampard will be offered the 5-year deal he wanted. Now the only question that remains is whether Frank will sign the deal. Some reports also suggest that Inter, who have completed the signing of Muntari from Pompeys, is no longer interested in Frank. Maybe the news that Frank will be offered a new deal dissuaded Mourinho. But even ‘senior executives’ inside Stamford Bridge are starting to wonder if the ‘negotiations’ are a bit of a smokescreen, and if Lampard had no intentions of signing the deal from the beginning itself. Meanwhile Drogba has announced that he will decide his future in the coming week, he stressed the fact that he missed the pre-season tour due to injury alone. Since Pompeys have the money they got from Muntari deal, it is expected that they will bid for Wright-Phillips, even though Scolari recently announced he is going nowhere.<br />
<br />
But Chelsea Chief Kenyon admitted that Chelsea were not any closer to knowing whether Frank Lampard would be staying or leaving, though he is confident the midfielder will remain at Stamford Bridge. Kenyon also spoke about how players should respect their contracts more. He believes that in every level of football, contracts should be honoured and players should not agitate and walk away as and when they feel. He added that it is vital from the coach's point of view, who has to plan for the future, and also from the fans' point of view. Kenyon also added that the Premier League's proposal for one round of matches to be played in selected overseas venues should not be rejected out of hand given the League's global popularity and the huge television income generated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-49811010899956103622008-07-27T13:39:00.002+05:302008-07-27T14:30:31.315+05:30Pre-season - Chengdu Baldes 0 - 7 Chelsea<b>Scorers:</b> <span lang="EN-GB">Anelka (14'), Kalou (30'), Lampard (37'), J Cole (54', 81'), Di Santo (65'), Wright-Phillips (83')</span><br />
<br />
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Starting Eleven:</span></b><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Cech (Hilario 60), </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Ferreira (Ivanovic 45'), Alex (Carvalho 45'), Terry (J Cole 53'), A Cole (Bridge 45'); </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Deco, Essien, Lampard (Mikel 45'); </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Wright-Phillips, Anelka (Di Santo 60'), Kalou (Malouda 45').</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Chelsea</span><span lang="EN-GB"> continued their pre-season preparations with an easy win over Chinese Super League side Chengdu Blades in Macau on Saturday. The Blues were always in cruise control and never looked to be in trouble by the Chinese. </span><span lang="EN-GB">In a match that helped raise funds for the Sichaun earthquake appeal, </span><span lang="EN-GB">goals from Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole (2), Franco Di Santo and Shaun Wright-Phillips completed the victory. Scolari used the match for experimenting with the formations and player combinations, a fact clear from the number of substitutions used.<br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB">Scolari began with a three man midfield with Deco, Essien and Lampard while Mikel, who played against the chemists, didn't start. A 4-3-3 was played this time instead of what looked like a 4-1-3-2 last time. </span><span lang="EN-GB"> Alex came in for Ricardo Carvalho while Joe Cole started from bench. Joe was brought in the second half instead of Terry. Ivanovic was then moved to center from the right of defense and Essien played at right back. This was an experiment by Scolari considering the unavailability of first choice right back Bosingwa who was injured in the last match. </span>Bosingwa has been ruled out for three weeks after tearing a thigh muscle on his Blues debut. Joe, who played for 37 minutes scored 2 goals and celebrated his comeback.<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB">"Because I am new in Chelsea I need to know some players. I only played a game against these players once or twice and had an idea but have to work every day with these players and know more about them. This game was important for me.", Scolari said after the match. Scolari added that despite his performance, young Argentine Di Santo is a man for the future rather than the present.</span> <span lang="EN-GB">'I think two weeks minimum for treatment, and to play, three weeks. Today I think he is out for the first game against Portsmouth but I have players for this position and today played with Paulo and put Essien there for some minutes. They played very well, it is not a problem for us. In three weeks I think he will be ready to play.', was his reaction on the Bosingwa injury. There are also reports that </span>Scolari has played down talk of winger Shaun Wright-Phillips leaving the club to join Portsmouth. The next friendly is against Malaysian Super League select side in Kuala Lumpur on 29th.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-32038377649662631952008-07-23T12:39:00.001+05:302008-07-23T14:15:57.662+05:30Pre Season - Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals vs ChelseaChelsea's pre-season friendlies start today with their first match against Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals in China. Its likey that Bosingwa and Deco will make their Chelsea debut today. But the squad that Scolari is going to pick for this match is very unpredictable. It will be intersting to see if Scolari goes with a full strength squad, or if he will play youngsters like Di Santo and Ivanovic. Pizzaro is left out of the squad that has travelled to Asia while Drogba is unavailable due to injury.<br />
<br />
The Peruvian is left behind from the squad playing pre-season frendlies citing injury problems but that might not be the case. Paris St Germain, who have already signed Claude Makelele from Stamford Bridge, are said to be interested in Pizzaro. This might be the wise thing for Chelsea and Pizzaro, who has failed to settle at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile Florent Malouda, who has gone on tour, is rumoured to be wanted on a loan deal by Roma. Roma, need to replace Mancini after selling the Brazilian to Internazionale and is understood to have offered only €13m.<br />
<br />
The Robinho tansfer saga continues as reports suggest that Chelsea are still in hunt for the Brazilian winger. If Chelsea are indeed to sell Malouda and Wright-Phillips (to Portsmouth?), then Robinho will be an excellent replacement. Chances are that Robinho will be Blues' last signing this summer, but certainly not the last transfer deal. Ben-Haim is linked with a move to Manchester City while Belletti is linked with a move to Benfica. With Bosingwa and Ferreira in the squad as right-backs, I don't see any reason why Belletti won't be sold. After Cech, Essien And Bridge signing new contracts, Carvalho seems to be the next in queue as the club seems to be doing everything to settle the uncertainities.<br />
<br />
<i>Daily Express</i> reports that Lampard, after weeks of confusion, has finally been offered the deal he wants at about £150,000 a week and is all set to commit himself to Stamford Bridge for the rest of his career. £150,000 a week !! I don't know if that's a wise decision, assuming the rumour is true. But rather than Frank staying for a year and then leaving to Milan for free, something ought to be done. Either he should be sold now or this absolutely outrageous deal should be accepted, settling the matter once and for all. But Lampard bcoming the highest paid British footballer doesn't look fair.<br />
<br />
“How can they accelerate beyond what they’ve done? I don’t see outstanding progress in a team that is in their 30s", says Sir Alex about Chelsea's chances next season. So the verbal duel begins. Obviously the United manager is too worried about the threat we provide and has come up with statements like this weeks before the league will begin officially. One must also take into account that the average age of United players is 27, and that of Chelsea is 28. So I don't see much difference there. Moreover Fergie shouldn't be saying this because taking Ronaldo out of the equation, his greatest weapons are people like Giggs, Scholes and Van Der Saar, who will probably be in old age homes in a few years. So the best reply would be to ignore the old wily red nose!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">TV Timings:</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> 1300 Chelsea TV(BST), 23/07/08.</span> Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals vs ChelseaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-68489895585634650442008-07-17T08:06:00.000+05:302008-07-17T08:06:01.160+05:30Inflation in Premier LeagueOver the years football has become more than a sport. It has become a business, a very profitable one. Being the most popular European domestic league, English Premier League is the most affected by inflation that has resulted from football becoming a business.The cost of watching a match has increased exponentially. The fans already troubled by increasing fuel costs and higher financial interest rates, now has to cope up with the soaring ticket prices as well. Clubs are holding fans to ransom so they can get richer, and the clubs in turn are made to play according to a fixture which is governed more by television telecast timings rather the convenience of the clubs.<br />
<br />
Many of the clubs claim that the rice in season ticket prices is in line with inflation. But the arguement is not correct since clubs have raised the prices by percentages that are higher then the rate of inflation. Six clubs have raised the cost by more than 25% which will be a huge burden for the fans. Macclesfield, which plays in League2 increased the ticket price by 36.4%. They may have their own reasons and justifications but a 36.4% increase is certainly very harsh on the fans.<br />
<br />
Thaksin Shinawatra, after sacking Eriksson made another unpopular decision by increasing the season ticket price by 19.7%. Arsenal are the most expensive side in England to follow, with the cheapest adult season ticket at the Emirates up 4.5% to 925pounds. Portsmouth increased the ticket price to 600pounds, an increase of 10%.. The teams which are promoted to Premier League - Stoke, West Brom and Hull City, also have increased their ticket prices by more than 12%. But in the case of these teams the price hike is understandable. Wigan, Fulham, Middlesborough and Chelsea have retained the last year's season ticket prices for this year as well while Bolton has decreased the price by 14%.<br />
<br />
The trend continues in the lower divisions, with League One club Leeds United one of the worst sinners, charging fans a minimum of 440pounds next season, 25.7% increase. Clubs in the North East are the most greedy, charging a 7.6% increase on average, compared with a 3.6% average rise in London. The Football Supporters’ Federation have criticized the clubs for such unwarranted price hikes and according to them considering the revenues the leagues generate through television deals and merchandising, there is no need for such exorbitant prices.<br />
<br />
If clubs continue this trend in the future it remains to be seen how fans will cope up with this. We may see a fall in the attendance in stadiums. The cost of football will drive many fans away and clubs will have to address this problem sooner than later. Or maybe the FA will have to do something about the escalating prices.<br />
<br />
[<i>I'm on holiday for a week and this is a scheduled post. So I may not reply to the comments and e-mails till I'm back</i>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-81132286361127896392008-07-13T01:36:00.002+05:302008-07-13T15:19:40.607+05:30Anything but Lampard and InterYou may have a thousand arguments quoting a dozen newspapers to prove Frank has not been loyal to the club, that he went too far by dreaming to become the highest paid footballer in England, that he is showing lack of respect to the badge he kisses so often as a mark of respect. It's not fair to comment on something when you don't know what exactly is happening. So I will restrain from saying anything unless something happens in the Lampard transfer saga. Regardless of whether he moves to Milan, I consider Lampard as a true blue legend.<br />
<br />
So lets look around and see what else is happening. We may be missing a lot of other transfer news (read as rumors) because we are concentrating on Lampard alone. <i>Reuters</i> runs a story about how <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/07/11/chelsea-inadvertently-trigger-queiroz-departure/">Chelsea inadvertently inflicted an early blow on United</a> before the start of the season.Carlos Queiroz’s departure from Old Trafford to replace Scolari as Os Magricos coach might not be the result of a dark plan that was born in West London to unsettle the enemy before the war, but it certainly set the chain of events into motion and replacing someone like Queiroz won't be easy.<br />
<br />
<span class="main-content">"<a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11668_3806315,00.html">The only Chenko I love is Sheva</a>". Was the sweet reply by Milan Vice President Galliani when asked about Pavlyuchenko. Galliani can't be blamed for loving Sheva, and for aspiring to bring back the legend to San Siro. Afterall, Sheva is a Milan legend, lost in an unknown country, an unknown game, where money has never been a problem, but goals certainly are. But I doubt Sheva will move this summer. I would certainly be happy if it was Pizzaro and not Sheva.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="main-content">Moving to transfer rumors, </span><span id="intelliTXT"><a href="http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/chelsea/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/08/07/12/manual_141551.html&amp;TEAMHD=chelsea&amp;DIV=prem&amp;TEAM=CHELSEA&amp;RH=Chelsea&amp;PREV_SEASON=">Tal Ben Haim is liked with Manchester City</a> and reports say</span><span id="intelliTXT"> City are closing in on the £5million transfer of Chelsea's Israel international. Ben Haim had voiced his anger about not getting enough playing chances after the Moscow final. With Alex to cover Terry and Carvalho, and also the young Branislav Ivanovic looking for some starts this season, Ben Haim's chances are slim. Richard Dunne has signed a new deal with City and Ben Haim might be his partner next season. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="intelliTXT">Paul Ince is intent on strengthening his Blackburn squad, and <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=773457">Belletti might be a possible target for the Rovers</a>. The Chelsea squad has 32 members now, and Scolari said he wants a squad of around 24 only so he has the oppurtunity to bring in talented youngsters from the youth side. This means 67-8 players might be on their way out as Scolari shapes the team according to his ideas. </span>Brazilian daily <i>O Globo</i> writes that <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=774137#Comm">Chelsea are offered Adriano plus €15m for Lampard</a> by the Inter chief. If the news is true, Inter should know Pizzaro and Anelka are better than Adriano and still they might be on their way out of Stamford Bridge. Or maybe Moratti himself is a better striker that Adriano in his present form. <span class="main-content"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="main-content"></span>Joan Laporta, who is still Baraclona president thanks to the narrow win in the 'vote of confidence', has said that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/12/chelsea.premierleague">Deco has been an underachiever</a> for the past two years and that selling him was good business. He should be bothered more about eight members of his board resigning after his win, and not about a player's form who is already playing elsewhere. He fears Milan will beat them to sign Adebayor and that would certainly be bad business then. Deco played excellent football in European championships which makes it clear that there is nothing wrong with the player, but something was seriosuly wrong with the man-management skills of Barca.<br />
<br />
Even though I tried, I know names 'Lampard' and "Inter' crept into this post. That's how it is nowadays. Lampard and Inter and Mourinho appear everywhere. I hope the Lampard transfer saga is settled soon and also feel for the United fans who have been through a longer 'Ronaldo Madrid saga'. <br />
<span class="main-content"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-13687435753125562782008-07-09T21:13:00.003+05:302008-07-09T22:01:50.675+05:30Lampard Transfer | Terry Remains Captain | Sidwell Out"If you think Mourinho was crazy, wait till you meet Big Phil", was a quote I read somewhere when Scolari was appointed. The media finally got their chance to meet Scolari yesterday. He did not come up with something spectacular and out of the ordinary, and did not make any controversial statement as well. Big Phil looked self assured, confident and ready to face the task ahead. He started with English, which was not bad as people said it was, and then later shifted to his native language when confronted by foreign press<br />
<br />
The video of Scolari's first press conference can be watched <a href="http://livingtrueblue.blogspot.com/2008/07/scolari-first-official-press-conference.html">here.</a> The media pack were surprisingly soft in their approach, almost deferential. There was a lot of respect in the room. Certainly not to be seen as a sign of things to come. The most interesting part of the interview was when Scolari was asked if he is special and the reply was "I am special for my friends, for my family, all of this." The man is truly simple as he says and has his own peculiar ways. Like always, he was very expressive in the interview, in sharp contrast to his predecessor Grant.<br />
<br />
Scolari also informed the media that he had talked with Lampard and that Lampard had expressed his desire to stay at the Bridge. Later Frank's agent, Steve Kutner informed that Frank meant he wanted to end his career in Chelsea, but was not happy with the current contract offer made. “He also told him that unfortunately the terms for a new contract cannot be agreed with the board despite discussions having been ongoing for over two years. This, coupled with everything that happened to Frank at the end of last season, means his position remains completely unresolved”, Kutner told <i>SkySports news</i>. Meanwhile the club rejected the bid from Inter Milan. Time only will tell if it was because Lampard is truly not for sale or because Chelsea wants a better bid.<br />
<br />
Scolari who seems sure about Lampard staying has announced that he will remain the vice-captain of the team, with Terry as the captain. "I like him as a captain," said Scolari of Terry. "I like him as a player and as a leader.The captain is John Terry and the second captain is Lampard, but we want more captains on the pitch."<br />
<br />
In other transfer related news, Steve Sidwell may finally make his move to Aston Villa and only the medicals remain now. So Steve maybe the one giving creativity to the Villa midfield instead of Barry next season, with Reo-Coker trying to do the opposite as always.I'm surprised Drogba is keeping quiet regarding his plans for next season, with Milan's chase still on. Knowing Drogba, I expected a dozen contradicting comments regarding the transfer. That's all for now. So I'm back to scoring goals from volleys using Lampard in the 'online games' section of the official site's 'top corner'. Who knows, Lampard might not be there next time I log in.<br />
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<br />
.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-5466509219658794882008-07-09T01:02:00.001+05:302008-07-09T01:11:09.742+05:30Scolari - First Official Press Conference<object height="344" width="425">
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The week started well for Blues with the signing of Deco and most sites as well as blogs concentrated on the Deco signing and the implications it could have on the future of Lampard. Nick Benfield at ChelseaBlog, now hosted by Oleole[<a href="http://www.oleole.com/profile/ngaravind007">my profile</a>] wrote about the <a href="http://www.oleole.com/blogs/chelseablog/posts/chelsea-sign-deco">Deco signing</a> and it's followed by a large discussion in the comments section.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://chelsea.theoffside.com/chelsea-news/chelsea-revamps-website-thank-god.html">Jack at the Offside</a> says how much he is happy with the new look of the <a href="http://www.chelseafc.com/">Chelsea official website</a> and how the flash it had previously was so frustrating. We agree with him on the fact that the site looks cleaner and easier to navigate now. Jack also discusses about <a href="http://chelsea.theoffside.com/chelsea/chelsea-five-years-later.html">Roman's takeover of Chelsea</a> five years ago. He has also dug up an article that BBC featured during that time, July 2,2003 to be exact.<br />
<br />
Tony at <a href="http://festivaloffootball2.blogspot.com/2008/06/uefa-stunned-as-roman-abramovich-bids.html">Festival of football </a>comes up with a very funny article on Roman's intention to bid for Euro 2016. This article is a must read and hope Tony comes up with such funny articles more often. Meanwhile Tanuj writes about <a href="http://crazy4footie.blogspot.com/2008/07/ben-sahar-on-loan-to-pompey.html">Ben Sahar's move to Pompey on loan</a>. Football rumors comes up with all the <a href="http://footballfutbolcalcio.blogspot.com/2008/07/chelsea-rumours.html">Chelsea related rumors</a>. He writes about Arshavin's move to Chelsea, Shevchenko's move to Sampordia, as well as another article about <a href="http://footballfutbolcalcio.blogspot.com/2008/06/chelsea-want-robinho.html"></a><a href="http://footballfutbolcalcio.blogspot.com/2008/06/chelsea-want-robinho.html">Chelsea's pursuit of Robinho</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Non-Chelsea</b><br />
James Rydel wrote an article in Manchester United blog about how <a href="http://a-kick-in-the-grass.blogspot.com/2008/06/ronaldo-revisionists-preparing-to-eat.html">Ronaldo revisionists will eat humble pie</a> if Ronaldo decides to stay in Old Trafford. Nate, the Liverpool fan wrote about the <a href="http://ohyoubeauty.blogspot.com/2008/06/on-dossena-fullbacks-and-4-2-3-1.html">signing of Dossena</a> and predicts that Liverpool may play 4-2-3-1 next season. It's a good long post and usually Nate's predictions regarding Liverpool are spot on, more than anyone else I've seen.<br />
<br />
Red Ranter comes up with a great post showcasing his imagination in which he draws similarities between the <a href="http://redrants.com/the-battle-of-ankles-deep-and-the-dark-forces-of-madrid/">Ronaldo-Madrid saga and the Lord of the Rings</a>. Monica wrote about <a href="http://fanoffutebol.blogspot.com/2008/07/mourinho-said-hes-interested-in.html">Mourinho's interest in Quaresma</a> and <a href="http://fanoffutebol.blogspot.com/2008/07/juve-no-longer-interested-in-miguel.html">Juventus' lack of interest in Miguel Veloso</a>. The blog is a must read for Portuguese Chelsea fans, the fan category that will increase in number at a rapid rate I guess.'Starting Eleven' comes up with another Portugal article where he is <a href="http://startingeleven.blogspot.com/2008/07/is-queiroz-best-portugal-can-do.html">disappointed about Carlos Queiroz being a managerial candidate</a>. United fans would certainly agree.<br />
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</b><br />
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<a href="http://soccerlens.com/england-second-best/8103/">England must stop settling for second best</a><br />
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<a href="http://soccerlens.com/did-chelsea-make-a-mistake-in-buying-deco/8097/">Did Chelsea make a mistake in buying Deco?</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7963346726093583769.post-80720546386639245892008-07-03T21:10:00.001+05:302008-07-04T01:02:40.538+05:30Transfer Talk | Robinho | Arshavin | DrogbaLet take a quick look at all the transfer rumours. But I'm afraid it wouldn't be that quick.So those who don't like going through all the gossips, just skip everything and read just the last paragraph. Others don't blame me if you find somehting totally derisory. So let's move on...<a href="http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/sport/Chelsea-make-initial-move-for.4244008.jp">Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Real Madrid forward Robinho</a> after sporting director Frank Arnesen met with the player's agent."It's true that Chelsea are interested in signing Robinho," Robinho's representative Vagner Ribeiro told Spanish sports daily AS. This might have some truth in it, but I'm not betting on transfers in the league.<br />
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<i>The Mirror</i> claims that Zenit St. Petersburg have accepted a ₤12million bid from the Blues, and that Arshavin will arrive in London later this week to agree personal terms and undergo a medical. There are chances that Roman has fell for his compatriot after the Euro's but it seems Arsenal too are in the race. So there are reports that <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&amp;amp;grid=&amp;amp;xml=/sport/2008/07/03/sfnche103.xml">Roman urged Scolari to buy Arshavin</a>. But I don't find the necessity in buying another midfielder unless we're planning to sell both Ballack and Essien. Arshavin doesn't suit to the Chelsea style of play and at 27 years of age, cannot be called a 'promising youngster'. Tell me there are late bloomers in football but then I would keep telling you our midfield is already surplus and doesn't require another signing, youngster or not. <a href="http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/andrei-arshavin-the-next-token-russian-at-chelsea.html">Daryl in <i>The Offiside</i></a> also discusses about the possibility of such a transfer.<br />
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The Sun reports that Chelsea are prepared to offer FC Barcelona £18m plus the services of out-of-favor winger Florent Malouda in exchange for Samuel Eto'o.The Cameroonian striker, who had the best minutes/goals ratio of all Liga forwards last season, is surplus to requirements at Camp Nou and seems likely to move on. There are also reports that <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&amp;grid=&amp;xml=/sport/2008/07/03/ufndrogba203.xml">Chelsea may sell Drogba to get funds for other transfers.</a> I didn't know Chelsea was in desperate need of money. There are also reports that Sheva will be sold, but then some reports say he's already back from vacation to impress Scolari.<br />
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Chelsea have tried to persuade Lampard to stay in London with an improved £140,000-a-week contract. If this is true, then Lampard will become the highest paid footballer in Britain, inching closer towards Kaka. John Terry is currently the highest earner at Chelsea, with Germany skipper Michael Ballack and striker Andriy Shevchenko earning around £130,000 a week at the club. This comes after Jose said yesterday that Frank may see out his contract at Chelsea.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=761929">Chelsea have released Hernan Crespo</a> after his contract with the club expired. The Argentine international joined The Blues from Inter Milan in 2003 for a fee in the region of £17 million. Meanwhile<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&amp;grid=&amp;xml=/sport/2008/07/01/ufnsahar101.xml"> Ben Sahar joined Portsmouth on a 6-month loan deal.</a> The 18 year old became the first signing of Portsmouth this new season. Experince in the top league would do him a world of good to him and is a good move from the club. Another youngster, <a href="http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=761491">Jimmy Smith has signed for Sheffield Wednesday for a six month loan period</a>. Smith is a very promising player and the 21 year old is the second player to arrive at Hillsborough this summer. He played just one match for the Blues.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6